Blast Energy Services Funds Initial Abrasive Jetting Rig
22 July 2005 - 5:27AM
PR Newswire (US)
Blast Energy Services Funds Initial Abrasive Jetting Rig HOUSTON,
July 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Blast Energy Services, Inc.
(OTC:BESV) (BULLETIN BOARD: BESV) has entered into an agreement to
develop their initial abrasive jetting rig with Berg McAfee
Companies, LLC, a major shareholder. The arrangement involves a
loan of $1 million to fund the completion of the initial rig and
sharing in the expected rig revenues for a ten-year period. To
date, the Company has received $500,000 in funding under this
agreement and is scheduled to receive the balance in several
payments before the end of September 2005. Previously announced
negotiations to develop up to five abrasive jetting rigs in a
profit sharing agreement with Advanced Drilling Systems did not
materialize. "These cash sources will allow us to complete
construction of our initial rig and get it into commercial
operation by the end of September," said John O'Keefe, Executive VP
and Co-CEO of Blast. "We find the arrangement especially attractive
because it avoids equity financing that would result in substantial
dilution to our shareholders at these very low stock price levels."
In a related fund-raising event, Blast and Maxim TEP have entered
into an amended contract, which resulted in a $175,000 increase in
the value to the Company of the previously announced technology
assignment agreement. The new payment terms include the $550,000
paid to date, an additional $25,000 payable today, $400,000 payable
by July 25, 2005 and a final payment of $500,000 by September 2,
2005. A portion of the scheduled payment owed since June had been
overdue. Under the terms of the loan agreement with Berg McAfee,
cash revenues will be shared on the basis of allocating 90 percent
to the Company and 10 percent to Berg McAfee for a ten-year period
following repayment. After ten years, the Company will receive all
of the revenue from the rig. The loan, which has a senior and
subordinated structure, carries an average interest rate of 7.4
percent and is due September 15, 2006. Berg McAfee also has the
option to fund an additional three rigs under these commercial
terms. Based upon a normal weekday, daylight operations schedule
and current rates for specialized well perforation and completion
services, the rig is estimated to have the capacity to generate
more than $6 million in annual revenues. The Company has invested
approximately 50% toward the cost of construction of the initial
drilling rig, using existing coiled tubing technology as the
platform. The capabilities of this next generation rig should allow
Blast to expand their market opportunities to a wider range of well
services, including specialty casing cutting, long reach
perforating, lateral jetting, and specialty completions. Under the
current schedule, Blast expects the rig to be completed and
commercially deployed in September. After the initial rig
establishes market acceptance, the Company intends to begin
construction of additional rigs with similar abrasive cutting
capabilities as the market demands. In June, the specialized
abrasive jetting module passed the Company's design performance
testing in Germany. The factory acceptance test exceeded our design
criteria. Management believes that this has very positive
implications with respect to performance of the system when it is
deployed in the field. Photos of this test and the rig assembly
process have been posted to the Company's website. About Blast
Energy Services, Inc. Blast Energy Services, Inc. is a publicly
traded company based in Houston. Our mission is to substantially
improve the economics of existing oil and gas operations through
the application of our worldwide licensed and proprietary
technologies. Using specially fabricated mobile drilling rigs we
intend to operate a commercially viable energy service business,
including: specialty casing cutting; perforation, fracturing
services and lateral drilling with the potential to penetrate
through well casing and into reservoir formations to stimulate oil
and gas production. This service should provide oil and gas
producers with an attractive, lower cost alternative to existing
well stimulation or horizontal drilling services. Additionally, we
are providing satellite services to oil and gas producers. This
service allows them to monitor and control well head, pipeline or
drilling operations through low- cost broadband data and voice
services from remote operations where conventional land based
communication networks do not exist or are too costly to install.
Please visit our website: http://www.blastenergyservices.com/ .
Safe Harbor Statement Any statements made in this news release
other than those of historical fact, about an action, event or
development, are forward looking statements. Forward looking
statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which
may cause the Company's actual results in future periods to be
materially different from any future performance that may be
suggested in this release. Such factors may include risk factors
including but not limited to: the ability to raise necessary
capital to fund growth, the introduction of new services,
commercial acceptance and viability of new services, fluctuations
in customer demand and commitments, pricing and competition,
reliance upon subcontractors, the ability of Blast Energy Services'
customers to pay for our services, together with such other risk
factors as may be included in the Company's filings on Form SB-2
and its periodic filings on Form 10-KSB, 10-QSB, and other current
reports. DATASOURCE: Blast Energy Services, Inc. CONTACT: John
MacDonald of Blast Energy Services, Inc., +1-281-453-2888, or
+1-713-725-9244, or Web site: http://www.blastenergyservices.com/
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